You don’t want to miss this: star chef Arturo Dalhuisen’s fantastic kitchen takeover
What do you do when your own restaurant is closed? Show off your cooking skills elsewhere! Star chef Arturo Dalhuisen has no desire to sit at home; he wants to keep busy. To show what he can do. He previously took over Daalder from the (also amazing!) chef Dennis Huwaë, and now he has brought his team from pop-up restaurant Bellezza in the Red Light District along for a six-course kitchen takeover at the trendy hotel chain citizenM. What is it like? We came, we eat, we fell in love.
A mini fine-dining staycation—I don’t know about you, but these four words immediately make me wag my tail. Jogging pants off, lipstick on; finally, an outing! And what an outing: quite some time ago I had already eaten at Arturo’s and instantly became a fan of his style.
Arturo Dalhuisen, who is that?
For anyone who doesn’t recognize Arturo’s name, here are a few credentials: his CV is packed with stars. Arturo Dalhuisen is 36 and during his career cooked at De Jonkman in Bruges (**) and as sous-chef at De Leest***. In 2016, he made a definitive name for himself in the culinary world as chef de cuisine at The White Room*, where within two years he earned a first star with his signature of fresh notes, light acidity and refined spices. After leaving in 2019, he made various forays, including at Bellezza and Daalder. And now the kitchen takeover at citizenM in Amsterdam, right in the city center.
Eight rooms
It remains a sad sight: so many beautiful places in the city, and everything closed… Of course, many restaurants offer takeaway and delivery, but in a sector where everything revolves around hospitality, that is obviously very different from a restaurant full of guests. It is no different at citizenM, diagonally opposite the Amstel Hotel. Of the almost one hundred rooms, eight are occupied tonight.. And since eating at a hotel is the only option at the moment, we are staying here too. After checking into the small but super-clean and efficiently furnished room, we take a seat in the hotel’s cozy and cheerful lobby, where a few tables have been set.
Insane amuse-bouche
And then the spectacle begins almost immediately with the first bite: a tuna and radish amuse-bouche in a crispy beetroot cup. We look at each other: ‘this is insanely delicious!’ A real little bomb of flavor that looks beautiful too. The tone is set right away, because Arturo’s signature is unmistakably present in every dish that follows. All his dishes are beautiful and fresh, perfectly balanced, and he never goes overboard with an overpowering herb or an incomprehensible flavor combination. Everything, absolutely everything, excels in elegance and refinement.
Cobia
The first dish is once again a beautifully presented plate featuring cobia with a tofu emulsion and yuzu sorbet. Cobia is a white fish with a firm texture, comparable to tuna, but without an extremely pronounced flavor and not too fatty. This makes it an easy fish to turn into all kinds of delicious dishes. Like here, with the Japanese citrus fruit yuzu resting on the tofu like a scoop of ice cream; wonderfully fresh and refined, and perfect with Knebel’s (biodynamic) Riesling.
Turbot with Chenin Blanc
The second dish is turbot, and once again it has been prepared so fantastically. Very lightly seasoned, pure, and surrounded by briny plants from the sea, such as samphire. Fantastic! Alongside it comes a very tasty glass of Vouvray from Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau ‘Clos du Rougemont’ in the French Loire. It is a wine made from the Chenin Blanc grape, which happens to be one of my favorite grapes. Fragrant Chenin Blanc also originally comes from the Loire Valley. Unlike the Sauvignon Blancs from this region, Chenin Blancs are fuller in flavor. Still fresh, though: citrus, with a hint of peach, pear and honey. And that goes wonderfully with this fresh fish dish.
Orange wine
A quick shout-out to Maicka, the lovely and knowledgeable sommelier who pours a perfect and original wine with every dish. Such as with the next dish: a so-called orange wine from Derthona in Piedmont, northern Italy. Orange wine is truly very different from ‘normal’ wine. Simply put, it is white wine with a bite. The wine is made from white grapes that have had extended contact with the skins (and sometimes the seeds and stems too). This gives it a deeper, more intense color and (just like red wines) more tannins and bitterness. It tastes a little like strong jasmine tea and herbs.
Cod with kalamansi
A good orange wine, as it is called in the Netherlands, is juicy and soft, smells wonderfully of peach and honey, and pairs well with meat, but also with vegetables and fish. This Derthona is light orange and made from the Piedmontese timorasso grape. It is a true food wine and goes wonderfully with the next dish: briefly brined cod with a jasmine sabayon and a kalamansi dressing (a citrus fruit that is very useful in (Eastern) cuisine as a substitute for, for example, lemon or lime) and chives. Just the aroma rising from the plate alone… And then the tasting still has to begin… Once again, a truly delicious dish, with us licking the plate clean with our fingers.
Perfectly cooked duck
The main course is a beautifully cooked piece of duck with duck rillette, mole and orange (wine pairing: a full-bodied red Bordeaux), plus a vegetarian dish of roasted cauliflower in a hazelnut-butter and truffle sauce, served with a fresh Italian red Sangiovese. It is very special how both dishes, although wilder and creamier, are once again characterized by a fresh touch. It ensures that, even though we have already eaten quite a few dishes, along with delicious bread, we still have room left for dessert.
Two desserts
Go!
Arturo’s menu can be reserved through November 29, possibly longer, from Wednesday to Sunday. The cost is €159 per person and €239 for 2 people, including an overnight stay in one of the best hotel beds ever. You can make a reservation here.
Also read:
- Fine dining in the Red Light District: you can do it at this pop-up!
- Food trends chefs hate, part two
- Essential: these kitchen gadgets from top chefs
